Telephone assemblies for mounting in vehicles vary widely in their design.
One mounting fixture for a transportable mobile telephone, known in the art from the German utility model G 93 11294.7, is comprised basically of two opposing side panels and a base plate that connects them to one another. The mobile telephone is placed in between the side panels and rests on the base plate. It is held securely by a positive- or non-positive lock connection. The mounting fixture is fastened with screws, for example, to the side panel of a center console between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat inside the vehicle.
A mounting fixture for a mobile radio telephone, known in the art from EP 0 545 670 A2, is comprised of two interlocking components. The outer component is firmly fastened with screws to a base. The inner component represents a sort of seesaw into which the hand-held radio telephone can be inserted from the front. The seesaw can be tilted along a horizontal axis. In a forward position, the seesaw is prepared to accept the device. When it is tilted backward it is held securely by a locking mechanism. The mechanism is released by a lever that is positioned on the underside of the seesaw and is operated by pressing down on the hand-held radio telephone.
In the German utility model G 93 11 242.4, a two-component mounting fixture for a hand-held radio telephone is described. In this model a separate clip piece is fastened to the hand-held radio telephone; this clip is equipped with a tongue which can be slid into a corresponding groove in the mounting fixture. Further, an HF shielding and antenna component is described, which is connected via a coaxial cable to an on-board antenna system for the vehicle. The antenna component is coupled to the antenna component of the mobile telephone in the form of a galvanic connection between the antenna component of the hand-held radio telephone and the on-board antenna of the vehicle. If the hand-held radio telephone is capable of hands-free operation, it can be left in the mounting fixture during operation. If it is not desired that third persons in the vehicle hear the conversation, the radio telephone can be removed from the mounting fixture, so that the user can use the telephone with the receiver at his or her ear. In either case, the hand-held radio telephone is equipped with an antenna line that is connected to the on-board antenna of the vehicle. If the telephone is to be used outside of the vehicle, then clip components and shielding or antenna components, respectively, are removed.
One possibility for hand-free telephone operation using a hand-held radio telephone is known in the art, for example, from EP 0 464 011 A1. It is recommended here that an adapter, which is connected to a loudspeaker and a transmitter, be connected to a corresponding plug-type connector in the hand-held radio telephone. In this case, the external transmitter and external loudspeaker largely replace those that are integrated into the hand-held radio telephone.
It is the object of the invention to provide a radio telephone set that comprises a device for holding a hand-held radio telephone, which can be used in the broadest sense as a mounting fixture. The device should be especially suited for installation and use in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. In addition, it should be simple and comfortable to use.
The handset is preferably comprised of a hand-held shell that can be mounted to a console and is electrically connected to this console, and into, which the hand-held radio telephone (preferably a so-called handy) can be inserted, thus creating an electrical coupling.
The hand-held shell is an intermediate component that is connected via a cable to the console, and as a result is connected to the on-board antenna. It represents a sort of “telephone sleeve” into which the hand-held radio telephone, as the functioning unit, is inserted.
The hand-held shell preferably contains a receiver mouthpiece and/or an earpiece, which can be connected electrically to a telephone circuit integrated in the hand-held radio telephone, so that they can be used in place of the mouthpieces and ear-pieces of the hand-held radio telephone. The hand-held shell is thus designed as a type of telephone receiver, which is connected to the console via a telephone cord. The telephone circuit (which ensures that connections can be made with a central exchange and that a subscriber can be reached via his official number) is accessed from the inserted hand-held radio telephone. In other words, the hand-held shell and the console form a sort of “case” that is to be “filled” with the hand-held radio telephone.
In one preferred embodiment, the swing-out insertion piece of the hand-held shell, which is designed as a sort of sheath, contains at least one collar piece on which the lower portion of a hand-held radio telephone rests when the insertion piece is swung into line. When the unit is swung out around a swiveling axis that holds the insertion piece, the front (sheath) edge is moved both forward and downward in a relative motion to the preferably fixed collar piece. This permits the hand-held radio telephone to be easily removed. The collar piece acts as an “ejector.” The lower portion of the hand-held radio telephone is shifted relatively forward and upward, but is held fast laterally. In its removal, however, it no longer can be jammed against the sides of the sheath. The sides of the sheath can thus no longer be damaged, specifically its upper edge cannot be broken off.
The rear panel of the insertion piece is preferably extended beyond the upper edge of the sheath; in other words, it is extended upward. This extension serves as a guide plate for the hand-held radio telephone to be inserted.
The hand-held shell may contain an interface to the source of power for the hand-held radio telephone, and to the signals transmission, especially antenna signals. This means that the hand-held radio telephone transmits and receives signals from the communications center via the on-board antenna rather than via its own antenna. Its own antenna serves only for the transmission of signals to the on-board transmitting and receiving unit. Naturally, it is not necessary for the console to have an antenna. In any case, the hand-held radio telephone is equipped with its own antenna. The interface is preferably designed for galvanic, separable coupling (transmission). Inductive, optical, transmission, especially telephone signals, may also be used. It is also conceivable for the console to be fixed and connected via a conventional or digital wire line to a central exchange.
The hand-held shell need not necessarily be connected to the console via a cable. It is also conceivable for the hand-held shell to be designed as a mobile component of cordless telephone.
The hand-held shell is preferably equipped with a recessed area to hold the hand-held radio telephone, designed such that the latter is, or appears to be, an integrated component of the shell, and does not protrude out of the shell. The hand-held shell is thus larger in shape than the hand-held radio telephone. When the mobile telephone is removed, the shell looks like as though a corresponding piece had been “cut out.”
The hand-held shell may be curved like a conventional telephone receiver, wherein the ear-piece and the mouthpiece are positioned on an inner surface of the curved telephone receiver, and the recessed area for the hand-held radio telephone is constructed such that the keypad on the hand-held radio telephone is accessible from an outer side (or from the side that is opposite the side on which the mouthpiece and ear piece are positioned).
The mounting fixture is preferably equipped with an ejection device which brings the hand-held radio telephone, after it has been released, into an easily accessible position.
In a further variation on the invention, the mounting fixture is constructed such that it requires only a single spring for the ejection device and a single spring for the locking and release mechanism. The entire mounting fixture with the release and locking devices is integrated into the base of the shell that holds the hand-held radio telephone. In other words, these mechanical components are designed such that they are narrow in thickness.
For hands-free operation it is particularly advantageous for the hand-held shell and the console to be designed such that when the shell is placed on the console, the keypad on the hand-held radio telephone is accessible. Thus, the shell need not be removed from the console to permit operation of the telephone.
It is advantageous for the hand-held shell itself to be equipped with a hands-free transmitter. A circuit connection ensures that when the hand-held radio telephone is placed in the hand-held shell it automatically switches from the hand-held radio telephone's receiving and transmitting devices to those of the hand-held shell. This switch-over can, for example, be activated via mechanical or electrical sensors that are automatically actuated when the hand-held radio telephone is placed in the hand-held shell. Switch-over may also be effected manually.
The hand-held shell contains, for example, a continuous recessed area for the hand-held radio telephone, which gives the shell a ring-shaped appearance when the hand-held radio telephone is removed.
The console itself has an external shape that is like a segment of a circle, for example, wherein the hand-held shell is placed on a secant surface of the segment. The console looks, for example, like a half wheel of cheese.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the hand-held shell is equipped with a swing-out insertion piece for the hand-held radio telephone. This serves to ensure a particularly user-friendly insertion and removal of the handheld radio telephone. The insertion can also be improved if the insertion piece remains arrested in its swung-out position of approximately 10*. This swung-out position is preferably maintained by a spring, in order to prevent swinging or rattling brought on by vibrations or shaking of the automobile. In a further preferred design variation, the insertion piece is designed to be sheath-like, wherein the rear panel of the sheath extends upward over the edge of the sheath. This portion of the rear panel of the sheath serves as a guiding rail for the handheld radio telephone to be partially inserted in the sheath opening. The guiding rail can be swung out toward the front with the insertion piece, or can remain in a fixed position. The swiveling axis that permits this swinging out extends nearly perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the sheath. It may be positioned either within the sheath or above the sheath.
The hand-held shell may, as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, be shaped like a shell that will hold the hand-held radio telephone. It may, however, also be dumbbell-shaped, with a recessed area for the upper and the lower portions of the hand-held radio telephone, and a narrow connecting strip between these two portions. This design reduces the overall width of the hand-held radio telephone placed in the “hand-held shell”; this presents a advantage particularly for women having delicate, small hands. The connecting strip may be curved in an ergonomic design.
A loudspeaker on the console for hands-free operation of the telephone is provided on the flat surface of the circle segment. A hands-free transmitter should be suitably positioned, so that it is directed toward the vehicle steering wheel.
For mounting the shell onto the console, magnetic mounts are preferred. Clamp-, clip-, or hook-type fasteners are, however, also possible.
Both the hand-held shell and the hand-held radio telephone are supplied with power via the console. The power can be used to power the telephone or to charge an accumulator in the hand-held radio telephone.
Further advantageous exemplary embodiments and combinations of characteristics are given in the following description of details and in the totality of the patent claims.